The Baltimore Orioles revealed on Monday, January 27 that they have agreed to a one-year Major League Baseball (MLB) contract with Dylan Carlson for a whopping $975,000. This comes after the outfielder was non-tendered by the Tampa Bay Rays. Carlson will receive a further $25,000 in incentives if he makes it to 200 plate appearances.
How did Dylan Carlson bag a $975,000 deal with Baltimore Ravens
A former first-round Draft pick in 2016 by the St. Louis Cardinals, Dylan Carlson made his MLB debut as a 21-year-old in 2020 as he was considered a five-tool talent. Although he had a quiet 2020, Carlson showed promise in 2021. In that season, he bagged 18 home runs, a 115 OPS+ and 3.1 bWAR over 149 games. On top of it, he was named the National League Rookie of the Year finalist.
But, Carlson has not been able to replicate his initial success in the last three seasons. From 2022 to 2024, he had a .225/.309/.341 slash line across 1,008 plate appearances. Carlson also sustained injuries that made him play in fewer than 100 games in each of the last two editions of the NFL.
Carlson spent his last offseason recovering from season-ending left ankle surgery. He then later on had a left shoulder injury in the Spring Training which prevented him from stepping on the field till May 2024. After batting .198 over 121 homerless at-bats, Carlson made his way to the Rays ahead of the Trade deadline.
Things didn't change for Carlson as he produced .219/.299/.316 slash line with three homers and a 28.3% strikeout rate in 127 plate appearances with the Tampa Bay Rays. By the time we reached November, Carlson was non-tendered.
Dylan Carlson is a switch hitter who shared his side of success against the left-handed pitchers (.285 average, .792 OPS) as compared to the righties (.219 average, .655 OPS). He has experience at every outfield position and he tallied at minus two outs above average at each of the three spots in 2024.